LITTLE: Marsai Martin Is Destined To Be A Star

When I saw Issa Rae & Marsai Martin’s interview on The View, in which Martin explained that she not only came up with the idea for Little, but also executive produced it at 14 years old, I was immediately intrigued by the film. Little is basically 1988’s Big in reverse. Regina Hall plays Jordan Sanders, a domineering tech mogul who constantly tortures her coworkers, including her assistant April (Issa Rae). Jordan faces an unexpected challenge when she transforms into her young self (Marsai Martin).

Despite the great performances by the three leads, the film suffers from a predictable plot and basic jokes. However, it’s not entirely unenjoyable and serves as a great showcase for talented black women.

Forgettable Jokes & Forgotten Plots

The biggest problem in Little are the jokes. While it was by no means a complete comedic flop (there were several one liners like “You look like a cheerleader for the Migos” that made me laugh), the jokes just weren’t anything we haven’t heard before. Some of that might have to do with the fact that it’s a story we know; Big, 13 Going On 30, and 17 Again have all covered this ground. In a movie meant to please a crowd, playing it safe is a common formula. There were times when the movie almost went there, but ultimately went for the “safe” choice.

While the plot is very simple, there are several side plots that complicate, yet add nothing, to the story. April has a sort of love interest in her co-worker, Preston (Tone Bell), and Jordan also has a sort of love story with her friend with benefits Trevor (Luke James). Neither one is overly developed and both resolve abruptly and lazily. There is another plot with the kids Young Jordan meets when she has to go back to middle school that often interrupts the movie. It almost feels like the writers came up with jokes and decided to write the story around them, such as a scene where April and Young Jordan randomly start singing Mary J. Blige’s “I’m Goin’ Down” in a fancy restaurant for absolutely no reason.

The most shocking part of the film was a joke making fun of someone by saying they were transitioning that I found very offensive to the transgender community. I was horrified to hear the other audience members around me laughing out loud and very hard. For a movie that should be a win for inclusivity, that seemed very strange and took me out of the movie for a few seconds.

Technical Difficulties

While I don’t expect a movie like this to be a technical masterpiece, I do expect the editing to be competent. There were a few scenes that felt very quickly cut together, like the filmmakers assumed that audiences’ attention spans weren’t long enough for a five minute scene. There were also times when scenes ended quite abruptly, and suddenly the characters were in a completely different place with no explanation as to why they were there.

Every movie has some “goofs” but this movie had several that were obvious, even to the non-observant viewer. For example, in the restaurant scene, April picks up a glass of wine, but when the camera cut across the table, the glass is just sitting there untouched. A little more attention to detail for moments like this would have been a big improvement.

A Celebration of Black Girl Magic

Speaking of inclusivity, it was very refreshing to see a major comedy led by three black women about a black woman in a high position of power. After yet another year without any women nominated for best director, it was also great that the director and co-writer Tina Gordon is also a black woman. The characters in the film may not have been written more stereotypically if a white man were in charge, but Gordon’s writing and direction give our main characters real personality. While the reviews for this movie have not been strong, the movie did receive a Rotten Tomatoes audience score of 75%, which shows that people want to see more diversity represented on screen. I sure do.

Even the soundtrack does a great job at emphasizing the strength of black women. Songs from artists such as Janelle Monáe, Lizzo, H.E.R., and Chloe x Halle appear throughout the film. Sometimes, films use songs that are too on the nose (like 2016’s Suicide Squad) but in this case, all of the songs fit in well with the story.

While Hall does a good job in the few scenes she’s in, Issa Rae as April is the heart of the movie. She’s extremely likable. She’s nice, she’s funny, she’s sassy when necessary. Her character’s arc is that she struggles to voice her opinions, which makes her relatable. Thrust into a bizarre situation, she remains calm, cool, and collected while trying to figure everything out. I thought that her relationship with Preston could have been more developed, but overall I found her to be a very grounded and entertaining character.

Although she’s already received mainstream praise for her role on Black-ish, this movie is Marsai Martin’s breakout. She is tasked with something hard; she’s not just playing the young version of someone, she’s playing a 38-year-old trapped in her young body. The maturity she clearly has from being able to become the youngest executive producer ever shines through in her performance. I never once didn’t believe that she was Regina Hall stuck in a different body. I, for one, have a feeling that Martin has a strong future ahead of her, both in front of and behind the camera.

Little: Conclusion

Overall, Little is special for its cast, but not for its story. The jokes don’t always fall flat, but there were times when I knew exactly what was going to be said and how characters were going to say it. The cast does a great job with what they’re given, and for that reason alone, I would say watch it when it’s eventually free On Demand.

What’s your favorite body swap movie? Let us know in the comments!

Little was released in the U.S. on April 12.